A Love Story In Progress
by Inion Lugh
Summary: Lucius was a pretty decent guy at Hogwarts, but somewhere along the line, he came to hate Muggles and everything associated with them. Also a response to JL Matthews suggesting somebody write a loving Malfoy family. (In progress)
1. Prologue

PROLOGUE

The headline in the paper read "West End actor dead; mother grieves." Beside the article was a picture of two people, the actor and his mother. It was a Muggle newspaper, an item that had no place in the Malfoy household, much less on the breakfast table.

Narcissa had placed it carefully next to the orange juice, where Lucius would be sure to see it. Draco had glanced at it and scowled, but said nothing to his mother and began eating. Lucius came downstairs a short while later, a huge smile on his face.

"Morning love," he said, kissing his wife on the forehead and drawing her into a tight embrace.

"Good night, Dad?" Draco asked, leaning forward on his seat. His attention was no longer focused on the Cricket Cereal ("crunchy, sweet, and good to eat!"), and his eyes were wide and unblinking as he watched his father smirk.

"Sure was. Nineteen Muggles total. Eleven by my group, six by Macnair's group, two by the Dark Lord himself." Lucius chuckled at the memory and motioned for Narcissa to sit down. "No rushing off to do your womanly things today. I want to have a family breakfast, take some time to enjoy the fact that I have the most wonderful wife in the world, and a damn good son, too." Father and son shared a smile as Narcissa turned a little red and sat down. "Pass me the orange-" He stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the unmoving pictures on the newspaper. "What is this?"

"The paper from yesterday." Narcissa placed her hands in her lap and stared at Lucius. "I thought you might enjoy reading about how one of your nights went, from the Muggle perspective. Perhaps you might read it aloud, so Draco and I can hear. He hasn't read it yet."

Lucius reached over and slowly picked up the paper. "West End actor dead; mother grieves," he read. "Sixteen year old Bradley Little, Jr. was found dead early yesterday morning at approximately 3:30 a.m. Though the cause of his death is as yet unknown, he was severely beaten, and it appears tortured. 'It doesn't make sense,' Officer O'Malley says. 'He was found with his wallet, his identification, and his money. It wasn't a mugging; it must have been an act of aggression for unknown reasons.' This leaves Mr. Little's widowed mother Eily Little with her eleven year-old twins and twenty-one year-old son Erik, who lives in Romania. 'This came as a huge shock to everybody,' O'Malley reports. He investigated the disappearance of Eily's husband, Bradley Little Sr., who was reported dead around the time Eily discovered she was pregnant with her son at the time. The police currently have no leads and are asking anybody who has any information to call the police immediately." Lucius lowered the paper and stared into Narcissa's eyes. "Draco, your room." The boy's shoulders drooped, but he grabbed his bowl of cereal and headed to his bedroom.

"Lucius, you can't ignore this," Narcissa said softly.

"And why not?" he asked. "Why did you buy this, Narcissa? I thought we agreed we wouldn't speak of her again."

"She just lost her son, Lucius, her only link to her husband. And you're probably the one who killed him."

"Then let her deal with it," he snapped, running a hand through his hair. Narcissa recognized the action as his way of calming down, of admitting to her that he was torn between conflicting feelings. "She's a traitor to the wizarding world now, love. She turned her back on us, remember? She turned her back on _me_."

"I remember that the wizarding world turned its back on her," Narcissa corrected. "At least go to her, Lucius. You can't expect her to handle this with a smile on her face."

"And why should I be the one to go?" he asked. "Why not Severus, or maybe even Dumbledore?"

Narcissa smiled sadly. "Because they don't love her like you do. And love can heal anything." She reached over and set her hand on top of his.

"Would it make you happy if I went?" Lucius said, squeezing her hand.

"Yes," Narcissa replied.

"Then I'll go. But you're forcing me into this. I don't want to go."

"I know," she said tenderly. "I'll be waiting for you."

The house hadn't changed one bit in the twenty-two years since he had last seen it. It still had a dirty, unwelcoming presence that seemed to snake across the walls themselves, as if evil were embedded into the twisted vines that covered it. There was a dirty, worn mat on the front steps, a pun that had made Eily laugh when she saw it. He had bought it for her, even though he didn't understand the joke. "Bach later," it read. "Offenbach sooner." She had smiled and tried to explain that it was a reference to Muggle music, but he hadn't been paying attention to her. He hesitated as he raised his hand to knock on the great oak door, which was covered with cracks. He wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Eily, especially after so many years. The time when he had been able to read her emotions had long since passed by.

He took a deep breath and very slowly rapped on the oak.

For a moment, he was afraid nobody was home, and he had almost decided to turn around and walk away when the door opened and a young man stepped out. "Can I help you?" he asked. Lucius was struck dumb by the look of the man. He could have been Lucius' twin, save for his eyes. He was Lucius' height and build, he had the same color hair, in the same style and the same length, and he was dressed in very fine, expensive robes. But his eyes- his eyes were pure Eily, grey, intelligent, sparkling with fierce love and the desire to protect.

"I'm looking for Eily," Lucius said, forcing himself not to start fiddling with his cane. He was starting to think that maybe this was a big mistake.

The man scowled. "She's not available right now. Come back at a less emotional time."

"I have to talk to her. Please, I...I'm an old school friend. I saw the newspaper article, I was hoping I could help somehow."

The man opened his mouth to retort, but the door was pushed open the entire way and Dumbledore appeared in the background. "Let him in, Erik. It's quite rude to keep a guest standing on the front step."

Erik stepped back and allowed Lucius to enter, but rounded on Dumbledore. "Professor, I really don't think Mum's in the mood to see anybody."

"That's her decision," Dumbledore said steadily. His gaze swept across Lucius, making the man shift uncomfortably. "Go finish up with the horses. Eily will understand if you don't personally take Lucius to see her." Erik mumbled angrily as he stormed from the room, leaving the two alone. "He had to come back from Romania to help Eily. It was a terrible shock for the entire family, I'm sure you can guess." Dumbledore regarded Lucius for a long moment. "I'm surprised to see you here," he said. "I wasn't sure that you'd see the article in the newspaper, and I wasn't sure you'd care enough to come visit."

"Can I see her?" Lucius asked, desperate to get out from the headmaster's fierce blue eyes.

"She was napping last I saw, but go on up. I daresay you remember your way around?"

Lucius didn't bother responding, but headed for the stairs. The third stair still had the familiar creak, but the sixth stair had one now too. He smiled as he remembered offering to fix the creak for Eily. She had refused, insisting that the creak gave the stairs character. Her bedroom was at the end of the hallway, which had been painted light brown. The walls were otherwise bare; there were colored spots on the wall where they had hung. All the doors were closed, save for Eily's, which was open a slight crack. Lucius peaked in, careful not to make any noise, and nearly gasped.

The beautiful woman he remembered was nowhere in sight. Eily's brown hair was limp and tangled; her skin was deathly pale and there were dark circles under her eyes. She was gazing blankly at pictures, but there were no tears on her face. Lucius wondered if she was past the point of tears, or if she was just numb from the experience.

He knocked lightly on the door and watched her jump in surprise. In the old days, she would have heard the creak on the stair and been waiting for him. As he watched, she quickly shoved the pictures into a shoebox and thrust under the bed. "Come in," she called, lying down in the bed and throwing the covers over her body.

Lucius took a deep breath and opened the door. She lay with her back to him, stretching her arms above her head as though he had woken her up, but she never turned around. "Eily?"

She sat up and spun around, then stared at him. "Lucius?" she asked. "How- what are you doing here?"

He hesitated, then stepped into the room. "I saw the Muggle newspaper..." He broke off, unsure of where to continue.

She lay back down and stared at the ceiling. "I see," she said flatly. "Come to admire your handiwork?"

He fought to keep the tears from stinging his eyes. "I didn't do it, Eily." He looked down at his hands. "I just came to see if you were okay. If there were anything I could do...I don't know why I came."

She closed her eyes, and he could see a tear trickle down her cheek. "What do you want me to say? 'Hi, Malfoy, it's good to see you?'" He grimaced.

"How about, 'Hi Lucius, care to sit down?'"

She gave a bark of laughter. "Not that my opinion matters."

"Your opinion matters, Eily." She turned her head away from him.

"Go away, Lucius. Go away."

"I can't do that. I can't just leave you alone." He hesitated. "Not a second time."

She glanced over at him. "I hear you've got a son."

"Draco," he said. "He's a good boy. A Slytherin, and a pretty decent Quidditch player. Your eldest lives in Romania?"

"He's doing this thing with dragons," she said. "In Romania. He's been there for a few years."

Lucius inched closer to the bed and sat down on it. "I almost forgot what a dump this place is."

"Home sweet home," she replied. They were silent for a few long seconds. "I never stopped loving you," Eily whispered suddenly.

He stared at his hands. "I need to get going, Eily. But I want to come visit you again."

"I don't have much going on," she said. "Not for a few months at least." She pulled the covers back. "Let me show you to the door."

Was it his imagination, or did she seem disappointed as he walked away from the house? Either way, there was a slight bounce to his step as he headed home.


	2. One

He could barely see the top of her head over the huge book she had set in front of her face. "Advanced Transfiguration: The Power of the Mental to Control the Physical" he read from the cover. She was definitely smart; this book was part of the sixth-year curriculum, and they were only in their fifth year. Then again, she _had_ spent five years in McGonagall's shadow, putting transfiguration before her other studies, rising to the top of the year in that course. Unfortunately, she spent so much time studying transfiguration that her Defense Against the Dark Arts grade was slipping, and she was regularly failing her Potions assignments.

Despite the brains, she wasn't too bad to look at. Plain brown hair, stunning grey eyes, skin slightly too pale and riddled with freckles, but somehow the simple look fit well for her. She didn't draw men like Narcissa Black or Lily Evans, but she did have a few fans of her own. Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, mostly, but Peter Pettigrew had a crush on her, and everybody at Hogwarts (except for Eily's brother) knew that Sirius Black's goal for the year was to shag her. No Slytherin would ever think to ask her out, because Aimon Lireinne had sworn to hunt down and slit the throat of any man who dared touch his sister.

Lucius refused to deny his attraction to her. He had always wanted a smart girlfriend; intellectual conversation was a necessity to him. Narcissa had been his last girlfriend, and though she was Slytherin to the core, she wasn't as intelligent as he'd been hoping. She was smart enough to get by in her classes, but she never bothered to further her studies outside of class. Eily was very different from that; she didn't care about anything but getting her studies done. She, at least, understood the importance of knowledge. And true, she was a Ravenclaw, but she'd been raised in a predominately Slytherin family and understood the inner workings of the Slytherin mind. She was one of the few outsiders (as most Slytherins thought of those not in their own house) who cheered for Slytherin over Gryffindor, who encouraged cunning to brute strength. She'd have made a fine Slytherin, the entire house agreed, if only she had the ambition.

Lucius was certain she lacked ambition because her entire life was planned out for her. The only daughter of ten children, her parents had immediately mapped out her entire life- where she would go to school, who she would marry, what socially acceptable profession she could have while still being a housewife... Of course, her parents had been in for a nasty shock when Sirius Black turned out to be a Gryffindor who was ready to renounce his family and Eily announced flat-out that she would never marry Severus Snape. A Malfoy was out of the question; their family was too prestigious for a mere Lireinne. Lireinne married Black or Snape, but never Malfoy.

Still, despite the social restrictions they both understood, she had seemed to be sending Lucius a silent message that told him he need only ask and she would be his.

Or maybe that was his imagination. Maybe she'd been subtly trying for Black's attention all along, and he happened to be ensnared as well. Or maybe, heaven forbid, she had been trying to open up to Pettigrew, and was merely waiting until he found the courage...no, that was his fear talking. Pettigrew didn't have anything going for him in life; he lacked ambition, brains, and style. All of which Black had, all of which Eily was sure to desire.

There was a slight cough, and he snapped out of his thoughts to see that Eily had put her book down and was studying him curiously. "You've been staring." It was a flat statement, no emotion, no curiosity. It was as if he were a particularly fascinating experiment.

"Er, well, yes, I was thinking that um...uh..." He trailed off, unable to come up with a good excuse for staring at her.

"I see," she said, but he could see the smile that tugged the corners of her lips as she tried to maintain the stern look. It gave him renewed courage and took away some of the embarassment.

"I was kind of wondering if you'd like to go to Hogsmeade with me," he said nervously. "There's a trip coming up in two weeks..."

"Yes, right before exams," she agreed. He felt his heart freeze. Of course, he should have remembered. She never went to Hogsmeade around exam times. "Severus says you'll be staying up here for the Christmas holiday, so we'll see each other plenty then. I was planning on staying too, to get in some extra studying."

"I-what?"

Again, the smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "I said we'll see each other plenty over Christmas holiday. Seeing as we're both staying here and all." Lucius forced up a smile. The truth was, he hadn't signed up to stay over Christmas and he had no idea why Snape would have told Eily such a thing. But it didn't matter, she was interested in seeing him over the holiday, and that was all he cared about. "I have to check this book out from Madam Pince, but I'd like to continue this conversation with you."

"I, um, definitely would like to keep talking, too."

This time she allowed a sly smile to creep across her face. "What would you like to talk about?"

This caught him dead. While it didn't really matter what they talked about, he had absolutely no idea what a good topic would be. He thought quickly while Madam Pince checked out the book, and as they were leaving the library, he finally managed to say, "Uh...taken a look at any of the job flyers yet?"

"Oh yes," she said. "Some of them look interesting, but none of them seem quite right for me. You?"

"Not really," Lucius admitted. "I guess it's not really that important to me, finding a good job."

"Because of your inheritance?" He glanced over at her, surprised that she would mention the Malfoy fortune.

"Mostly. I don't have a whole lot to worry about as far as money goes, and that's why you need a job, right?"

"Not for me," she replied. "I've got a big inheritance too, you know. But I don't want to be bored for my entire life." She seemed to want to say something, but shrugged. "I've never had much of a life to live. I want a job that would break the monotonously rich lifestyle."

He chuckled. "Do you know how many women wish they could have half the pile of gold you've got, just so they can avoid working for the rest of their lives?" She said nothing in reply, and he bit his lip. Was she offended? "Have you eaten lunch yet?" he asked, hoping to change the topic.

"Yes, before I went to the library. But I'll sit with you while you eat." His heart leapt again. She was volunteering more of her time to spend with him. "I think Severus said he was going to be eating soon, too." And his heart plummeted to his feet. So much for eating lunch alone. Snape was the only real link he and Eily had, though. Snape and Eily had grown up together and been best friends all through their childhood. It was no surprise that they remained good friends at Hogwarts, despite being in different houses. When Lucius befriended the lanky Slytherin, he'd been introduced to Eily, and though they didn't bond as a group, they felt a slight kinship toward each other for sharing the same friend.

"We'll eat with him, too, then," Lucius said. "I hear he's got a...er...girlfriend."

"That's a nasty rumor." Eily's voice was suddenly icy. "The bastard who started it deserves a knife in the back." Lucius saw her clench her fists tightly. "If I can ever prove it..."

"Don't like his reputation scarred?" Lucius asked dryly. They both knew Snape didn't have a good reputation around school.

"No, I don't like those four always picking on him. They're nothing but rotten bullies. Potter can't even be bothered to fight him face-to-face, he knows Severus would win." Her jaw clenched tightly. "Every time they go after Severus, it's at least two against one, and they always attack from behind. Slytherin tactics, I know, but they're messing with my best friend. And nobody does that." Her eyes were narrowed dangerously, as though she were carefully plotting how she would destroy Potter and Black.

"Have you ever thought about...well, dating him?"

"Severus?" she asked in surprise. "I did, a couple months ago. But I don't think it would ever work out. We do good as friends, but as lovers...we'd probably kill each other."

"You've never dated anybody before," Lucius pointed out. "How do you know what kind of guy you need to go out with?"

"I've always looked at the milder men." He saw her glance in his direction. "And slightly...paler...men." His head snapped over to her. Had she just insinuated what he thought?

"So in other words, you want to shag me, right?"

She smiled. "Why, Mr. Malfoy, I resemble that remark."

He stopped walking, and Eily turned slightly. "What do we do now?" he asked.

"I suppose for starters, you ask me out on a real date sometime. But until then, I forgot that I have to go catch Remus up on a couple classes he missed."

Lucius smiled faintly. "Funny, isn't it? He's always sick. Practically every month."

"Yes," she agreed. "Funny. Have a good lunch, Lucius. Say hello to Severus for me."


	3. Two

Lucius stepped gloomily into the Manor and stood there, staring at his home. There was nothing that really gave it a welcoming feel. There never really had been, but after today, after seeing Eily again, he had a sudden longing for a small, cozy house.

Narcissa was sitting in the parlor by a fire, curled up on a chair and reading a book. She didn't glance up as Lucius walked numbly into the room. "How did it go?"

"I'm not sure," Lucius admitted, sitting on the floor in front of his wife. He heard her set the book down, and she began caressing his hair. He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "I'm exhausted."

Narcissa smiled faintly. "I bet you are. Do you want something to eat?"

"You should have seen her, Cissa. I've never seen a more pitiful sight. I wanted to hug her and tell her everything would be all right in the end, and..." He buried his head in his hands. "I shouldn't have gone."

Narcissa wrapped her arms around her husband's chest. "I love you, Lucius," she said gently. "You did the right thing."

He sighed. "I told her I'd go back and visit some time. But now I'm thinking that I shouldn't."

"You made a promise," Narcissa pointed out. "You've never gone back on your word, and you'd better not start now."

Lucius nodded and stood up. "I should go report in to the Dark Lord. Undoubtedly he'll want us out on raids tonight."

"Draco wants to exactly what's going on between you and Eily," Narcissa told him. "What do you want me to tell him?"

"That I love you both more than ever," Lucius replied. "I don't think I'll be out too late tonight, but I'm going to miss dinner." He kissed her on the forehead, then Disapparated.

When Lucius finally returned around midnight, he glanced into Draco's room and found his son fast asleep. He smiled faintly and closed the door quietly, then crept into bed. Narcissa stirred when he kissed her cheek, but other than that she didn't show any signs of acknowledging his return.

He lay awake long past sunrise, staring at the ceiling. His heart hadn't been in the night's raiding; he was too busy thinking about Eily. Only Snape seemed to pick up on Lucius' dour mood, and Snape had more than happily taken over Lucius' role torturing the Muggles.

Lucius had been too busy remembering happy times spent with Eily, too busy remembering their shy relationship, how they'd started out so uncertainly and evolved into a strong team. That's what they were back then, a team.

Now that she was thrust back into his life, he realized he'd never really gotten over her. He had suppressed any thoughts about her and pretended to himself and to Narcissa that he had moved on in his life. But Eily was a wound that cut far too deeply for him to simply forget.


	4. Three

"What if she says no?" Lucius asked, shifting nervously as he stared into the mirror. "She always said she wanted a career, and that being just a housewife was too dull." Snape looked exasperated.

"For the last time, Malfoy, she isn't going to say no. She loves you. Stop acting like an idiot. She'll be a housewife and a career woman."

Lucius adjusted his cloak and sighed. "Fine. I'm ready. Let's go do this."

Snape smirked. "Sounds like you're having seconds thoughts."

"No, I'm just scared beyond all reason."

Lucius was abnormally pale with fear, and Snape patted him on the back. "Eily loves you. I don't think I can say it enough times. She wants to marry you, pal."

And indeed, she did. She was more embarrassed than she'd ever been in her life as he got down on one knee at the Christmas party, in front of her family, his family, and a few of their closest friends. She hadn't burst into tears (much to Snape's disappointment), but she hadn't been able to speak, either.

It wasn't until the next day she told Lucius she found a job she wanted to have. At first he'd told her not to take it, but that statement had hurt her far more than he'd expected, so he told her he'd support her decision.

She became an actress in Muggle London. It hadn't surprised him much that she wanted to study the Muggles; she'd always been curious about the Muggles. Coming from a pureblood family hadn't helped, because she wanted to understand why her parents insisted the Muggles were so awful.

She had always insisted on waiting until they were married, but two months before the wedding she surrendered herself to his embrace. "We're practically married," she pointed out.

He had been in absolute horror when, the a month later, he caught her going out to dinner at a very fancy Muggle restaurant with one of the actors. Had she achieved her goal in sleeping with him?

She seemed to be overflowing with joy and was laughing giddily through the dinner, but she denied having any relationship with the Muggle when Lucius asked her about it.

"I don't think we should get married," Lucius said coldly, standing her doorstep. The Muggle had left quickly when he saw Lucius.

"What?" Eily asked in surprise. "Lucius, I'm not lying to you. Brad and I work together, we went to dinner-"

He stormed off in anger, determined not to speak to her for a few weeks, but not ready to really call off the wedding. Unfortunately, by the time he was ready to try to work out the issue with her, she had eloped with the Muggle and he'd moved into her house.

Lucius had turned to his old girlfriend, Narcissa, for comfort, and not long after they, too, had married.


End file.
